I love the nest - we find several ourselves every year and spend lots of time admiring them OUTSIDE. The reason you need to clean out birdhouses after the babies leave is because of parasites and mites. Ick. But I defer to you for all things quilting. :)

I've read on decorating blogs that people spray like crazy the nests they find with that spray polyurethane stufff ... spray tons of it and hopefully that will kill all the germs and icky stuff you don't want inside.

I love the bird's nest!! Every few years I look for a new one when mine start to fall apart. We put it in a ziplock bag and put it in the deep freezer (Ours is set to 0 degrees Fahrenheit) for a week or two. The deep cold kills all the parasites/mites/germs leaving us with a "clean" nest. Sometimes I spray it w/ a clear coat but normally not! (We have one outside our bedroom window that I've been eying... It is so lovely!)

I just noticed your rose pillow! Very nice! I have one made out of old wool and cashmere sweaters... We love it!!! The next one is going to be made out of old silky polyester for our eclectic French country/old world bedroom.